Taylor-Stevenson Ranch

Last updated
Taylor-Stevenson Ranch
Established1875
TypeHistorical

Taylor-Stevenson Ranch is an historic 640-acre working ranch located near Reliant Stadium on Almeda Rd. in Houston, TX. [1] The ranch was officially designated in the Congressional Record as a "Texas Century Ranch" which recognizes ownership by the same family for over a century. [2] It was also recognized as the only African-American owned ranch in Texas with the century ranch designation. [2]

<i>Congressional Record</i> Official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks. At the end of a session of Congress, the daily editions are compiled in bound volumes constituting the permanent edition. Chapter 9 of Title 44 of the United States Code authorizes publication of the Congressional Record.

Contents

The ranch was originally purchased in 1875 by Edward Ruthven Taylor at the persuasion of Ann George, who was one of the family's former slaves charged with overseeing Edward during his illness. The two fell in love and lived openly together as husband and wife, although they never officially married because at that time interracial marriage was a violation of Texas law. [3] They raised six children, all of whom received a college education. Their granddaughter, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Sr. (1911-2003), a graduate of Fisk University, and her daughter, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr., (1946), who attended Texas Southern University, were both inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2001, the first living African-American women to receive the honor. [4] [5]

Fisk University United States historic place

Fisk University is a private historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee. The university was founded in 1866 and its 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr. (1946) is a former model who, along with her mother, Mollie Taylor Stevenson Sr., were the first living African-American women inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. She also received the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award, one of only two women to have received the honor; the other being Connie Douglas Reeves. Mollie Jr. founded the American Cowboy Museum which is located on the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch, an historic working ranch located near Houston, originally purchased in 1875 by her great grandfather, Edward Ruthven Taylor. The ranch is among the oldest African American-owned ranches in the United States.

Texas Southern University Historically black university in Houston

Texas Southern University is a public historically black university (HBCU) in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive HBCUs in the nation with over 10,000 students enrolled and over 100 academic programs. TSU is a leading producer of college degrees to African Americans and Hispanics in Texas and ranks fourth in the United States in doctoral and professional degrees conferred to African Americans. The university is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

History

In 1862, 16-year-old Edward Taylor (1845-1924) joined Waul's Texas Legion, a unit in the Confederate Army that originated in Brenham, TX. [1] Edward was captured during the Battle of Vicksburg, and while being held prisoner, he contracted tuberculosis, or consumption as it was called in the 1800s. After his release from prison and discharge from further service in the army, he returned home to his parents, Aaroline and Edward Wyllys Taylor. Edward's parents had moved from Massachusetts to Texas sometime during the 1840s, and settled in Houston on land that became the site of the Wortham Center. E.W. Taylor was a prominent 19th-century merchant who had served many years as president of the Houston Cotton Exchange Board, [1] and also brokered in slave trade. [6]

Wauls Legion

Waul's Legion was a combined arms force from Texas that fought for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Raised in the spring of 1862 at the Glenblythe Plantation near Gay Hill, Washington County, Texas by Brigadier General Thomas Neville Waul, the legion originally consisted of twelve infantry companies, six cavalry companies, and a six-gun battery of artillery.

Tuberculosis Infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections do not have symptoms, in which case it is known as latent tuberculosis. About 10% of latent infections progress to active disease which, if left untreated, kills about half of those affected. The classic symptoms of active TB are a chronic cough with blood-containing mucus, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. It was historically called "consumption" due to the weight loss. Infection of other organs can cause a wide range of symptoms.

Wortham Theater Center

The Wortham Theater Center is a performing arts center located in downtown Houston, Texas, United States. The Wortham Theater Center, designed by Eugene Aubry of Morris Architects, was built out of private funds totaling over $66 Million. The City of Houston owns the building, and the Houston First Corporation operates the facility.

Ann George, a 21-year-old black slave who was purchased by Edward Wyllys in 1856, was charged with overseeing young Edward's care. [1] She nurtured him back to good health [7] and over time, the two fell in love. During the Civil War era, interracial marriage in Texas was not only illegal, it was dangerous for interracial couples to live under the same roof. [1] [3] Despite the risks, Edward and Ann were unofficially married, and chose to live openly as husband and wife.

In 1875, Ann persuaded Edward to purchase land south of town in Pierce Junction, [7] now known as the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch, where they could raise hay, livestock, and farm the land. They raised six children, [7] all of whom were among the first African-Americans in Texas to receive a college education. [1] It was three decades after their initial purchase that Edward first discovered oil under his land. By 1921, a producing oil well had been drilled by Hugh Roy Cullen on what became known as the Pierce Junction field. [3] Of further historic significance, drilling the Pierce Junction field led to an innovative new drill bit designed by Hughes Tool Company that could drill through rock. [3]

Hugh Roy Cullen American industrialist and philanthropist

Hugh Roy Cullen was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Cullen was heavily involved in the petroleum industry, was a large supporter of the University of Houston, and longtime chairman of the board of regents for the university. He is considered one of the most important figures in Texas during the Oil Boom era.

Hughes Tool Company company

Hughes Tool Company was an American manufacturer of drill bits. Founded in 1908, it was merged into Baker Hughes Incorporated in 1987.

In 1946, aviators Azellia White, Hulon "Pappy" White, Ben Stevenson, and Elton "Ray" Thomas opened the Sky Ranch Flying Service on the property. [8] Stevenson, Thomas, and Hulon White were Tuskegee Airmen, while Azellia White was the first African-American woman to get her private pilot's license in Texas. [8] The Sky Ranch Flying Service provided flying lessons and charter flights. [8] It included a commercial airport used by African-American aviators, which had three runways up to 2,200 feet in length. [8] The service closed when new restrictions on the use of the G.I. Bill caused a decline in customers. [8]

Azellia White was an American aviator who was the first African-American woman to earn a pilot's license in Texas. She and her husband ran the Sky Ranch Flying Service, an airport and flight school for African-American aviators.

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American military pilots who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces. The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks and other support personnel.

African Americans are an ethnic group of Americans with total or partial ancestry from any of the black racial groups of Africa. The term typically refers to descendants of enslaved black people who are from the United States.

American Cowboy Museum

The American Cowboy Museum is located on the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch. Established in 1988 by Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr., the museum is focused on the art, history, and culture of the contributions of African Americans, Hispanic, Native Americans, and women to the development of the American West. [9] Displays include fine art and posters, and historic papers and photographs related to the ranch. [10] Other exhibits include cowboy gear and memorabilia, including saddles, spurs, hats, chaps, boots and other cowboy items. Outdoor displays of ranch equipment include tractors, plows, cultivators and planters.

Related Research Articles

Connie Douglas Reeves was believed to be America's oldest cowgirl. She was the oldest member of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and one of the first women to study law at a University of Texas School of Law. One of Reeves most notable quotes was "Always saddle your own horse", which Liz Smith once suggested in her gossip column was "not a bad motto, even if you are just getting into your Mercedes." In 1998, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum awarded Reeves the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award for her contributions to the Western way of life. She was one of only two women to have earned the award; the other being Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr., founder of the American Cowboy Museum.

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Western lifestyle Contemporary subculture

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National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an educational resource with exhibits, a research library, and rare photography collection. It annually adds Honorees to its Hall of Fame.

Ruth Scantlin, later Ruth Scantlin Roach, later Ruth Scantlin Roach Salmon, was a professional bronc rider, and world champion rodeo performer. Her 24-year career began in 1914 and ended in 1938, when she retired from the rodeo and started a ranching business in Nocona, Texas, with her husband, Fred Salmon. She is an inductee in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame (1989) and the Rodeo Hall of Fame in the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum formerly known as the National Cowboy Hall of Fame (1989) and traveled the world with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and The 101 Real Wild West Show. Bronc riding was her favorite event, although she performed and won championship titles in other areas. During her career she won the titles of World's Champion All Around Cowgirl, World's Champion Trick Rider, and World's Champion Girl Bronc Rider.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Holley, Joe (29 June 2013). "Historic Ranch Lies In Houston's Shadow". Houston Chronicle.
  2. 1 2 Bentson, Ken (11 March 2002). "Honoring Mollie Taylor Stevenson Sr. and Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr". Congressional Record-Extension of Remarks. 148: 3325.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "E.R. Ann Taylor Park". City of Houston. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Mollie Taylor Stevenson, Sr". Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame. 2001. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Mollie Taylor Stevenson, Jr". Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame. 2001. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  6. ↑ Stevenson, Beverly J. (2013). "Historical Sociological Study Of The Taboo Interracial Relationship Of Edward Ruthven Taylor, Slave Broker's Son, And Ann (George) Taylor, Former Slave, In Houston, Texas". PhD Dissertation Fielding Graduate University. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 "E.R. and Ann Taylor Park, 1850 Reed, 77051". Houston Parks Board. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sky Ranch Flying Service". American Cowboy Museum. 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  9. ↑ "2012-2013 Hall of Fame Inductee Mollie Taylor Stevenson, Jr., Texas". National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "Mollie Stevenson, Jr.: Multicultural Ranching History Preserved". American Cowboy. November 11, 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2017.

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